Shemar Moore makes production debut

Shemar Moore makes production debut

Bill Bellamy, Denise Boutte, Nadine Velazquez star in The Bounce Back

It’s hard to imagine any woman turning down Shemar Moore. But Denise Boutte, or at least her character, does. She dumps him actually.

In the film, The Bounce Back, which marks Moore’s debut as an executive producer, the heartthrob actor co-stars as book author Matthew Taylor who has his heart broken by his wife Julie (Boutte).

“When I read [the script] and was offered the character of his ex-wife and knew that I was the one who dumped him, I was like what the hell is wrong with this chic?” says Boutte, laughing. “Did she not like six packs? I don’t understand. Did she not like the most beautiful man in the world with a six pack? But I guess that boils down to you could be as beautiful as you want, but if there’s no connection, there’s no connection.”

During a Toronto International Film Festival red carpet affair inside UNIUN Nightclub, the small and mighty cast including Moore, Boutte, Bill Bellamy (How To Be A Player) and Nadine Velazquez (Flight) offered a crowd of screaming “baby girls” (Moore’s loyal following of fans built off of his “Young and the Restless” and “Criminal Minds” fame) a sneak peak at the television star’s passion project.

“Wearing a producer hat I saw up close how hard it is to get films green lit, but what’s great about the process we took, a lot of this has to do with the fan support,” Moore explains. “We started out on Kickstarter, switched over to Indie Go Go and we raised almost $700,000… What raising that money does is it shows Hollywood that there’s a demand for content that Hollywood may not be thinking about or may not think is a hot ticket. And we got to show that there’s an excitement and demand. And then we just had to create a good product.”

“What raising that money does is it shows Hollywood that there’s a demand for content that Hollywood may not be thinking about or may not think is a hot ticket. And we got to show that there’s an excitement and demand.” – Shemar Moore

The trailer previewed what looks to be a high quality production (in Moore’s opinion the film turned out 10 times better than its budget should have allowed) filled with laughter, romance and heartbreak… and yes, a few scenes of a shirtless Shemar Moore. It’s being toted as a chic flick that guys will enjoy as well, and as Velazquez points out, it’s a story that’s relatable and real.

“Oh my God, [through filming] I realized that I’m really similar to the character and I need a lot of help,” she shares, laughing. “That’s what I discovered. It was kind of a mirror to my life… I put a lot of love into it, and my emotion into it. I feel like I represent that girl and I hope that people can relate to her and see themselves in me.”

After 27 days of filming, shooting for The Bounce Back has wrapped and it is slated for a 2015 release. Moore is looking forward to getting Hollywood and his enormous fan base behind the project to see what he calls his “little big movie” release in a major way. Bellamy, who plays manager and friend to Moore’s character in the film, is confident the film will resonate.

“It’s about love, it’s about getting your heart in the right place, after a heartbreak – everybody’s been through a heartbreak before – and inspiring people to not give up on love,” he says.

Photos By. Fitzroy Facey

Tags

Deeply passionate about storytelling that provides an alternative to the mainstream media, Priya Ramanujam is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Urbanology Magazine. She has been working as a professional journalist, editor and media arts facilitator for over 10 years.